How much am I spending on city water?

In the past, plants often connected process equipment to their incoming city water supply and never gave it another thought. However, since the days of plentiful and cheap city water are gone, and sewer charges are often substantial, self-contained water recirculators and chillers have become a popular option. The cost of water can add up quickly, especially if process equipment is running for several shifts a day.

Note: In addition to the pure water savings, you also gain more consistency in your process because you will controlling the water temperature to a setpoint,  rather than using “whatever” temperature comes out of the tap.

When a chiller is substituted for city water, the payback can be as short as a year. Use the calculator below to estimate how much is spent on water at your facility.

1. Rate of flow in gallons per minute (GPM). To measure the flow rate of the water place a flow meter on the outlet line of your equipment. If one is not available, simply measure the time it takes for the outlet flow to fill a five gallon bucket, and then compute your gallons per minute (GPM) of flow.
2. Unsure about your water rate? It varies by location, but review the table below to help determine typical water and sewage rates.

** $18.00/1000 gallons is what we pay in 2020.
Calculations based on fifty weeks of 40 hours/week